Nuts & Bolts

Most of the above pix were taken five minutes from my apartment. This is my new home, and my life is taking on a brand new palate of colors, smells, sounds, and people. There's a lot I could share about what it's like starting fresh with no job and a bunch of aspirations. NYC is saturated with people like me, so I know I'm not unique in my motivation for coming here. Still, I know this is the right place and the right time. So what I thought I'd do is try to document the process, both for family and friends, and for other aspiring musicians who are interested to know what this is like. Here goes!

In a nutshell, I've spent most of my 45 days here repetitively doing a combination of the following:

• Sending a hundred emails

• Scouring the internet for singing opportunities

• Practicing

• Going grocery shopping at TJ's (best prices on most things!)

• Watching "The Office" while translating a song

• Going to an audition

• Taking the wrong train (happens less these days)

• Watching "The Office" while writing a bio

• Going to a concert

• Scouring the internet for temp work

• Meeting a friend for coffee

• Practicing

• Applying to things

• Cooking/baking anything fall-themed

• Watching "The Office" while updating my resumé/CV

• Practicing German on Duolingo

• Trying to figure out how to be cool on Instagram

• Sending a hundred more emails

Of course, every day looks a bit different. I just started teaching voice lessons at Highbridge Voices, an after school program in the Bronx, and I sing regularly with a church choir on Sunday mornings. I see a few concerts each month, especially if a friend is performing, and am looking to start temp work soon. Right now, I'm singing with a choir called C4: The Choral Composer-Conductor Collective. The group specializes in choral music of the past 25 years, which means a lot of it is HAAAAARD. But I love contemporary music, and it's great getting to connect with fellow singers and composers. I'm also part of the New York Continuo Collective, an early music community that involves a number of friends and colleagues from various summer programs. Basically this proves that the world is tiny, and music brings people together.

For the more visually inclined, I've included some snapshots from my first month-and-a-half here. While I'm not sure exactly how this blog will develop, I'm thinking of including some of my cooking/baking adventures and sharing favorite recipes, as I've grown to love being in the kitchen and figuring out affordable, delicious, and (sometimes) healthy meals and treats. If you'd like to hear about anything in particular, I'm happy to take requests. :-)

Thanks for reading, and check back soon for my new favorite homemade pumpkin drink! #autumnishere

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